WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS:PHIL MICKELSON is excited about the prospects 2010 will bring after ending a difficult year with a thrilling victory at the World Golf Championship HSBC Champions in Shanghai yesterday.
In a year in which his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer, the world number two followed up September’s Tour Championship win with a one-stroke victory over South Africa’s Ernie Els to claim a second WGC title of his career, adding to March’s CA Championship success.
Mickelson crucially birdied the penultimate hole of his battling, three-under-par final-round 69 after saving par with a testing, breaking putt a hole earlier following a duffed flop shot.
Els, playing two groups ahead of the overnight leader, had snatched the lead with back-to-back late birdies, but bogeyed the last hole of a course-record nine-under round of 63 after hitting his approach into water to complete a decisive, two-shot swing in the American’s favour.
Els will have to share that course record with Rory McIlroy, who moved up to second place in the Race to Dubai with just two events remaining after finishing fourth by posting his own 63.
Indeed, the Irishman just missed from eight feet at the last for a 62.
McIlroy had a remarkable seven birdies in his opening eight holes, with a lone bogey five at the third the only blemish.
He then had a run of five pars, before picking up further shots at the 14th, 16th and 17th, and missing that putt at the last.
With money list leader Lee Westwood sharing eighth at 11 under par after a 71, McIlroy is just over €52,000 behind the Englishman in the order of merit ahead of Hong Kong and the season-ending Dubai World Championship.
“It feels terrific because I had to fight so hard throughout the day,” said Mickelson. “I didn’t hit it great, the putts weren’t falling, but I was able to hang in there.
“I am excited about 2010 because I am starting to play the best golf of my career,” added Mickelson.
“Everything is starting to come together as far as my driving goes, since working with Butch Harmon, my ball-striking has been much better and my short game is as good as it’s ever been.
“And going into 2010, not only I am excited, I have high expectations.”
Following the enthralling nature of the win, the fact the victory will not count on the US PGA Tour did little to dampen Mickelson’s mood.
“I think it would have been great if it would count,” he said.
“It doesn’t take away from the fact I beat 15 of the top 20 players in the world and the gratifying feeling of having this trophy and having the tough round, fighting hard and making the key putts.”
“It always feels good to win any tournament but certainly when you have a chance to go head-to-head – although, I know he didn’t play his best today,” he said.
The “he” in question, Tiger Woods, who began the day two shots adrift of Mickelson in second, but uncharacteristically missed several short putts during his level par round and was forced to settle for sixth, five shots off the pace, along with Martin Kaymer.
The German also kept himself in the hunt for the order of merit with a five under 67 which leaves him only €20,000 behind McIlroy in third.
“Anything that could go wrong went wrong for me,” said Woods. “I didn’t really envision shooting even par. The only only good thing is I don’t think many of the guys went deep, so that makes you feel a little better.”
Mickelson’s manner and success in China over the last three years has made him very popular with the locals, noticeably more so even than Woods.
“I thought the gallery and the people were terrific,” he said. “The galleries were much bigger than the past two years, and I’m very excited to see that people in China are getting excited about golf.”
(British unless stated unless stated, par 72)
271 – Phil Mickelson (US) 69 66 67 69
272 – Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 71 68 63
273 – Ryan Moore (US) 66 69 70 68
274 – Rory McIlroy (N Ire) 73 68 70 63 (€211,988)
275 – Nick Watney (US) 64 70 70 71
276 – Tiger Woods (US) 67 67 70 72, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 66 74 69 67
277 – Lee Westwood 70 71 65 71, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 66 76 66
278 – Francesco Molinari (Ita) 73 67 70 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 69 72 71 66, Anthony Kim (US) 67 69 72 70, Pat Perez (US) 68 69 75 66, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71 71 68 68, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 72 74 65 67, Daisuke Maruyama (Jpn) 72 69 74 63
279 – Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 72 67 70 70, Koumei Oda (Jpn) 70 69 72 68
280 – Alexander Noren (Swe) 70 71 71 68, Matt Kuchar (US) 68 72 72 68, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 68 70 70 72, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 71 69 70 70
281 – Robert Allenby (Aus) 73 69 70 69, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 75 70 69 67
282 – Brian Gay (US) 69 69 72 72, Camilo Villegas (Col) 70 69 73 70, Pádraig Harrington 74 69 72 67 (€41,276)
283 – Ross Fisher 70 70 72 71, Shane Lowry 66 74 71 72 (€39,032), Simon Dyson 72 69 72 70
284 – Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 72 75 65, Mark Brown (Nzl) 71 74 71 68
285 – Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 73 72 70 70, James Kingston (Rsa) 70 70 75 70, Yong-eun Yang (Kor) 72 71 75 67, Scott Strange (Aus) 71 72 74 68, Wen-Tang Lin (Tpe) 67 72 70 76, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 71 74 70 70, Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 75 68 77 65
287 – Rodney Pampling (Aus) 69 72 75 71, Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 69 72 76 70, Jason Dufner (US) 69 71 73 74, Wen-chong Liang (Chn) 73 73 73 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 72 74 72
288 – Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 74 71 70 73, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 74 68 76 70, Oliver Wilson 71 72 73 72, Ian Poulter 72 69 79 68, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 72 74 73 69, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 73 73 72 70
289 – Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 81 69 70 69, Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 73 73 71 72, Stewart Cink (US) 71 74 75 69
290 – Christian Cevaer (Fra) 73 77 71 69, Jerry Kelly (US) 71 75 74 70, Martin Laird 72 74 73 71
291 – Steve Marino (US) 77 70 74 70, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 72 74 73 72, Thomas Levet (Fra) 77 77 72 65
292 – Chih-bing Lam (Sin) 71 74 75 72, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 74 73 72 73
293 – Nathan Green (Aus) 79 77 72 65, Sean O'Hair (US) 74 71 76 72
294 – Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 76 72 73 73, Mark Murless (Rsa) 71 76 79 68
295 – Danny Lee (Nzl) 74 71 76 74, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn) 73 70 80 72
296 – Anthony Kang (US) 75 76 76 69, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 74 78 73 71
298 – Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 74 74 74 76, Ashun Wu (Chn) 74 71 83 70, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 77 71 76 74
299 – Jean Hugo (Rsa) 78 76 74 71
300 – Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) 74 76 76 74, Nick Dougherty 68 80 76 76, C Muniyappa (Ind) 74 69 78 79
301 – Wei-Huang Wu (Chn) 74 78 75 74
Rtd: Paul Casey 67 73 70
